Mousetrap



J. C. DOUST.

MOUSETRAP.

APPLICATION mm APR. 30, 1919. RENEWED APR- 11, 1920.

Patented J Ime 1,1920.

JNVENTUR UNITED; stares PATENT V-QFFICEQ JA Esc. nonsnor 'rono vro, 'olv'rnaio, CANADA.

' MOUSETRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent; Patented J 11116 1,1920.

Application filed April 30, 1919, Serial No. 293,767. Renewed April 17, 1920. Serial No 374,750.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES C. DOUST, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in the city of Toronto, in the county of York, Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mousetraps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mouse traps of the type in which a spring actuated jaw is adapted to cooperate with a base plate to kill the mouse and is held in the set position by means of a bait holding trigger, and my object is to devise a trap of this type which may be easily set without getting the fingers in front of or under the jaw.

I attain my object by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved trap in the set position; and

Fig. 2 a plan view of the same also in the set position.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding partsin the different figures.

1 is the base, which may be of wood, but is preferably of metal stamped up to shape and formed with upwardly extending bearing lugs 2. On these lugs is pivoted the jaw 5 integral with which is the tail piece at. The jaw and tail piece are of bail'shaped form and are formed of a single piece of wire, the ends 3 of which meet preferably at the outer side of the jaw and are twisted together.

Alined coils 6 are formed by twisting the wire forming the jaw and tail piece, which coils form bearings for the pivot pin 7 supported on the lugs 2. A coil 8 is also formed on the wire forming the tail piece, which serves as a finger grip and as a catch for the tri ger 9.

coil spring 10 surrounds the pin 7 and is provided with an arm 11 engaging the jaw 5, and an arm 12 engaging the base. This spring tends to force the jaw to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The trigger 9 is pivoted at 13 behind the pivot pin 7, and is provided with an upwardly extending hook 14 adapted to engage the inner side of the coil 8. A portion of the trigger extends up behind the hook 1a to a position adjacent the coil 8, when the trap is set, to form a finger piece 15 to facili tate the setting of the trap.

Preferably the portion 15 is positioned so that it will lie just below the opening of the coil 8 closer to its outer side than its inner side, and the trigger isstill further extended to the rear to 'form'a second finger piece 16 behindthe outer end of the coil 8. i

In setting the trap, the coil 8 is engaged by the thumb and drawn back to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. Pressure of the same thumb or finger is easily applied to either the finger piece 15 through the coil 8 or to the finger piece 16 behind the coil to rock the trigger to engage the hook 1.1 with the inner side of the coil 8. The trap is thus '17 to receive the cheese or other bait.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. In a mouse trap, the combination of a base; a pivoted spring actuated bail-shaped jaw adapted to cooperate with the base and having a bail-shaped tail piece connected therewith; and a bait-holding trigger, pivoted on the base behind the pivots of the jaw, adapted to engage the tail piece and extending forward to a point in front of the pivots of said 2. In a 'mouse trap, the combination of a base; a pivoted spring actuated bail shaped jaw adapted to cooperate with the base and having a bail-shaped tail piece connected therewith provided with a flat open coil at its rear side; and a bait holding trigger, pivoted on the base behind the pivots of the jaw, adapted to engage the inner part ofthe coil of the tail piece and provided with a finger piece positioned so as to lie in close proximity to the coil of the tail piece when the latter is engaged by the trigger.

3. In a mouse trap, the combination of a base; a pivoted spring actuated bail-shaped jaw adapted to cooperate with the base and having a bail-shaped tail piece connected therewith; and a bait-holding trigger, pivoted on the base behind the pivots of the V jam-adapted to engage the inner part of the coil of the tail piece and provided With a finger piece positioned so as'to liein close proximity to the coil of the tail piece when 5 the latter is engaged by the trigger, and be- 4. A mouse trap constructed substantially as set forth in claim 2 in Which the finger 10' piece is engageable by the operators finger through the openingin the coil. Signed at Toronto, Canada, this 16th day i of April, 1919.

JAMES" 0. over. 

